Sunday Summary: 6/7/2009

The big news this week was, of course, the new addition to Kimora Lee Simmons’ family, her son with actor Djimon Hounsou, Kenzo Lee.  The self-proclaimed model-mogul-mom also has two daughters/reality starlets, Ming Lee and Aoki Lee.  

In other starbaby news:

  • Comedian Gilbert Gottfried and welcomed son Max Aaron, a brother to Lily Aster.  Max is clearly the new Jake – but what with the Max/Maxwell/Maxfield/Maxim and such choices, it may be a few years until his popularity is obvious in the Social Security rankings;
  • Max is clearly a celeb fave - Lance Armstrong welcomed a son named Maxwell Edward, little brother to Luke, Isabelle and Grace;
  • CNN correspondent Brooke Anderson announced the birth of daughter Kate Victoria – I’m a sucker for that one-syllable first name, longer middle name pattern – it’s quite unexpected;
  • Charmed alum Holly Marie Combs named her third son Kelley James.  Big brothers are Finley Arthur and Riley Edward.  Finley, Riley and Kelley – they sound quite a bit like Angie Harmon’s Finley, Avery and Emery, don’t they?  Only we all know that Angie’s trio are girls;
  • R&B singer/reality TV star Bobby Brown welcomed a son, Cassius.  He’s the fifth kiddo for Brown – older sibs are Landon, LaPrincia, Bobby Jr. and Bobbi.

Elsewhere online, you don’t want to miss:

  • The Toronto Star profiled a couple with daughters named Kalliyan – rhymes with stallion – and Taevy – rhymes with Davey.  Thing is, mom is Cambodian and says that they’re both Cambodian names.  But are they the Cambodian equivalent of Katherine and Mary, or the Cambodian equivalent of Tiffany and Mackenzie?  Cross-cultural names are tricky;
  • Speaking of cross-cultural naming, Nameberry’s post on quirky British names was pure fun – I loved Oliver Reckless Hyatt, Alexi William Martin Rabbit, Ursula Isabel Langdale and Elspeth Alice Eugénie.  If you’re so inclined, you can check out the Telegraph Birth Announcements yourself.  Just now, I stumbled on a newborn Rufus, brother to Stanley and Jasper;
  • A few readers have mentioned that they find Swistle’s posts a little on the dull side, and while she does field questions from parents choosing between Ava and Emma, check out these combos: Abigail Genevieve Dahlia, Sophia Madeleine Eilidh, Gemma Evangeline Claire and Ivy Susannah Vivienne - all sisters;
  • Speaking of Ava and Emma, Elisabeth at You Can’t Call It “It” did a fun Alternate Top 100 – ideas to substitute for those familiar most common choices.  Check out her boys’ list and girls list. And yup, she suggests Max as a substitute for Jacob;
  • Nancy of Nancy’s Baby Names has been on location in France, seeking out unusual appellations in museums and graveyards, store windows and monuments!  I’m seriously thinking of saving up to send her somewhere else fabulous because her series was just amazing.  Two of her finds – Nadège, the name of my old roommate (she was Haitian), and Raphaëline – which I’d love even sans umlaut;
  • Lastly, Swistle also posed a question about whether siblings’ names should match?  And what does that mean anyhow?

I think it goes without saying that sibs’ names should have something in common.  The question that plagues me is what to do when your partner has a child from an earlier relationship.  If his first two kids are Kaylie and Jayden, do you try to match the style?  Or do you stick with Oliver and Eleanor?  Or try to split the difference with something like Matthew and Avery?  It’s not a challenge I’ve faced personally, but every time I hear a much-married celeb’s list o’ kids – like Bobby Brown’s quintet – I wonder.

Sunday Summary: 5/31/2009

First up, we’re expecting … three baby bluebirds.  The mama has built a nest in the tiny herb garden Arthur latched onto our postage-stamp sized balcony.  Since they’re growing amongst our herbs, I’m calling the three eggs Basil, Coriander and Rosemary.  I’ve been trying to talk to Mama Bird about names, but she’s not interested.

On to news about naming human babies:

  • This week’s Toronto Star profile couple named their daughter Zaphyn Athena.  On the one hand, I find Zaphyn eye-poppingly bizarre.  On the other hand, plenty of parents say they want something original and unlikely to be shared by another child, only to end up calling their kids Makenzi or Ava Rose or Jaidyn.  At least this duo actually landed on something truly unusual;
  • Also from the Department of the Eye-Poppingly Strange:  Yes, My Chemical Romance’s lead singer named his little one Bandit Lee.  Yes, he could’ve gone with Helena.  Yes, we’ll all be waiting for a quiet little announcement 23 years from now that Bandit Way has petitioned the courts to be known as Barbara.  Or not;
  • Hip-hop and R&B artist T-Pain welcomed a son named Kaydnz Kodah.  I’ll admit that I love Kodah.  But Kaydnz?  Yikes!  Older sibs are Lyriq and Muziq;
  • On the other hand, Family Matters and Celebrity Rehab alum Jaimee Foxworth welcomed a son.  Her little guy was given the stunning normal name Michael Douglas Shaw, Jr., after dad;
  • Trendier, but still nicely restrained, former ER star Parminder Nagra welcomed Kai David;
  • No word yet on a name, but Kimora Lee Simmons and Djimon Hounsou welcomed a son.  I can only imagine that the mother of Ming Lee and Aoki Lee will not disappoint with her next baby name pick;
  • And while he’s not a baby, anyone else wondering if recent third time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves will inspire parents?

Out here in the non-celebrity-studded ‘burbs of Washington D.C.:

  • Friends of ours welcomed Maeve, a little sister for Ailis;
  • I discovered that my son’s classmate India has a big brother named Miles;
  • And I had a chance to quiz the mom of two year-old Carsten about her pick.  As I suspected, they liked it because her first name is Carrie.  But it also fit with a family tradition – her husband’s middle name is Christopher.  (Carsten is related to Christian, so it links up in a nicely subtle way.)

A few posts you might’ve missed:

  • My shameless addiction, Celebrity Baby Blog, did a brief article on nicknames versus formal names, citing Victoria Recaño’s Maximilienne, nn Emme; Amy Poehler & Will Arnett’s Archibald, nn Archie and Amanda Peet’s Frances, nn Frankie;
  • Over at Nameberry, Linda wrote about some Hidden Gems – names that rank in the US Top 1000, but not too high.  I loved  Seamus, Cassius, Libby and Marin.
  • Also at Nameberry, Pam posted a list of possible Names for Twins using the most subtle of links – two names that are distinct, but share the same meaning.  She had some great suggestions, like Esme and Imogen, both meaning beloved, or Asher and Felix, both meaning happy.

While I’m on a Nameberry kick, remember that we’re a mere 23 days away from the release of Beyond Ava and Aiden: The Enlightened Guide to Naming Your Baby.  I realize there won’t be Harry Potter-esque lines and midnight release parties, but I’ve already advised my local bookseller to put mine on pre-order.

Lastly, a look backward – last year, the Name of the Day was Piper – and a sneak preview – this week, I’ll be writing about Aurora, Maurice, Zara, Francis and Dove.

Thanks for reading!